Dozens of young artists and their families celebrated at the Artists Awards Reception for RISING STARS, the annual Youth in Arts exhibit that showcases the best of public, private and alternative high school art.
Sir Francis Drake High School student Annabelle Sulprizio won Best of Show for her pair of beautifully carved vases. Other award winners included Alessandra Sutton for Best Painting, Helen Kun for Best Photograph, Keira Engler for Best Sculpture, Lily Gates for Best Drawing, and Ina Kim for Best Mixed Media. The full list of winners can be found HERE.
Nearly 300 people turned out in the bright sunshine and rotated through the show at a private reception on Sunday. The show features painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, photography, printmaking and digital media.
Annabelle said Geometric/Repeat Pattern Vase Set was inspired by videos she watched showing master carvers from Japan and China. Sulprizio takes honor ceramics with teacher Beth Cederstrom. “I call her my at school mom,” Annabelle said. “She make the ceramics room a space where you can feel comfortable and like you are at at home.”
“What really stood out about this piece was the intricate detail. It was the only work that the judges unanimously chose as the winner of a category,” said Morgan Schauffler, development associate at Youth in Arts who organized the show and manages the gallery.
The group artwork from TeamWorks program at Loma Alta School, an art education program that supports students involved in the juvenile justice system, won the new Rezaian Family Award given by Youth in Arts’ board president Naomi Tamura and her family. TeamWorks director Katya McCulloch said the work, titled C.H.O.I.C.E., is a mixed media piece that features many different keys; the “O” holds the keyhole. The title stands for Creating Healthy Choices In Challenging Environments. “I loved it,” Katya said. “I feel like we’ve touched on the soul of what TeamWorks is about. The choice is the key – making healthy choices.”
Dylan, an artist at Compass Academy who studies with Youth in Arts’ Mentor Artist Marty Meade, won an award from AC Graphics for her untitled digital painting of a saber-toothed cyclops lynx. “I absolutely love cyclops,” Dylan shared.
College of Marin also awarded six scholarships to best of show and best in category winners, giving them a semester of tuition-free classes.
The show runs through March 27. The opening reception will be held Feb. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m., which coincides with the 2nd Friday Art Walk in San Rafael.
The exhibition was blindly adjudicated.This year’s judges included painter Kay Carlson from Marin Open Studios; sculptor and fine arts instructor Patricia Hulin from College of Marin; photographer and creative consultant Melissa McArdle; and Lynn Sondag, chair of Dominican University’s Department of Art, Art History, Media and Design. Thank you to our sponsors AC Graphics, College of Marin, Il Davide, Marin Open Studios, Perry’s Art Supplies & Framing, the Walker Rezaian family, RileyStreet Art Supply and the San Anselmo Arts Commission.
Artist Susan Diglioni founded Rising Stars in 1991, believing that young artists should be recognized for their talents.The exhibit travels to the Marin Center in April, where it will be on display in the Bartolini Gallery April 9 – May 31.
The YIA Gallery is one of the few in the nation devoted to showcasing children’s art. Regular gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.